On Sunday, of Memorial Day weekend, in our barrel room we held a unique side by side comparative tasting of three La Grange wines and three of the same varietals and blend from Carmody-McKnight Winery in Paso Robles, California. Miles Penland was there to describe the soil and 'terroir' of their vineyards and wine making style along with Rob Cox and myself yapping about our La Grange wines.
The attendance to the Comparative Tasting was overwhelming. Many of you contacted us that you were out of town and couldn't attend this unique tasting. We are going to do this one again in July. Stay tuned for further details.
One couple that came to the tasting was so 'rapturized' that he suffered a moment of temporary insanity and right there in the middle of the barrel room asked his girlfriend to marry him. She gleefully accepted his proposal, put on the diamond he offered, and they proceeded to . . . well unless someone hands me some blue paper I'm stopping here except to say that we are all thrilled for her :-))
The Saga of the Sign is finally complete, at least I hope so. On an unseasonably warm day last January I was returning to La Grange from picking-up construction materials and a wind picked-up. While approaching the property the wind picked-up more, and more. When I got to the property the 100 pound sign was aggressively flapping back and forth. Before I could get a ladder, and some help, the chains that held our beautiful sign to the antique sign post snapped and I witnessed it bounce off the ground, several times. It suffered some minor dents and bruises all over. We repaired the wounded areas and I used thicker chain to refasten it to the post and also chained it to the ground this time.
About one month later an Arctic wind huffed over Bull Run Mountain heralding the approach of a serious winter storm. I confidently watched our sign hold tight to its' mooring chains as the wind stiffened and much to my chagrin continued to rapidly intensify, blowing my smugness away. I noticed Rob Cox walking over to the winery building severely leaning into the wind just before those heavier chains parted and our beloved sign danced in the hurricane force wind before sailing horizontally across Antioch Road in a splendid display of maw nature's ruthlessness. I waited until the next day to retrieve the multiple pieces of the sign.
After ordering a new sign I went to a marine salvage yard for thick stainless steel bolts and anchor chain. I picked-up the new sign from Mayor Steve Van Wort, at Signs of An Art Attack and hung it. If any of you want to motor to La Grange in your ship, feel free to tie-up to our sign, it'll support the Queen Mary now ! !
While you were reading the May newsletter I was in Spain to attend an importer's wine exposition, and visit friends. The past two vintages in Spain are exceptional and my palate was in ecstasy the entire time as I tasted through the wines friends crafted since my last visit. My enthusiasm was so infectious that the staff at La Grange has decided that our Wine Maker's Dinner on August 4th will be a "Night in Spain". Melissa and Adale are coordinating with Ala Carte Catering, who is designing tapas for dinner, and appropriate decorations. I'm choosing the Spanish wines that we'll pour that evening, so if you have any interest in Spain and its' wines make your reservation now.
Our Exec-Winemaker, Chris Pearmund, his wife, Lisa, and La Grange investor (and computer guru), Bob Moe, recently returned from supporting our wines at the Virginia Wine Experience in London. As we knew it would, this international tasting changed the minds of skeptics and educated those who had never experienced the pleasure of Virginia wines. The Richmond Times-Dispatch and the Washington Post interviewed several wine experts who attended including Hugh Johnson and Steven Spurrier.
Steven Spurrier sent the following personal note to Chris:
"The Virginia tasting was a real eye-opener for all of us. I had been on a visit (replacing Michael Broadbent, who couldn't make it) about 15 years back and the wines were interesting but quirky to say the least. Now they are mainstream in quality, but refreshingly not mainstream in alcohol. I think all the tasters agreed that Viognier was the real star, then for me Bordeaux blends and then Chardonnay, with a very good Cabernet Franc. Hugh Johnson was as surprised as I was, and we can't wait to go and see it for ourselves. The tasting was arranged by varietals, but the tasting book was arranged alphabetically by wineries, so the only way I can give you a breakdown (quickly for me) is to go through the list and give you my best marked wines out of 20. (For me 17 is a very good mark and 16.5 already very positive indeed.) Included in the preferred wines are:
2005 Winery at La Grange, Fletcher's Chardonnay - 17.
2005 Winery at La Grange, Viognier - 17.5.
2005 Pearmund Cellars, Petit Verdot - 16
Possibly due to the pleasant surprises in the glass and also to the charm of the people who had made it to London, my marks might be a tad generous, were the wines to be thrown into an international competition, but one thing is clear: they were very good to drink.
Do let me know if you come over to London, and I will let you know if I get to Virginia!
Best wishes, Steven Spurrier MW"
Steven Spurrier (b. 1944) is the British wine authority and merchant in Paris, France, who organized the Paris Wine Tasting of 1976, which unexpectedly shattered the myth of French wine superiority and promoted the expansion of wine production in the new world. He is also the founder of the Academie du Vin and Christie's Wine Course in addition to authoring and co-authoring over a dozen books on wine. And he has earned the prestigious Master of Wine accredidation from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust.
"Wine and love have ever been allies;
But carefully from all intemperance keep,
Nor drink till you see double, lisp, or sleep." Ovid
2006 Fletcher's Chardonnay
Will be bottled on June 19th, (complete tasting notes will be made after bottling) My opinion of barrel samplings is that this vintage, of my favorite Chardonnay, has racy acidity with the in-tack malic acid bringing in the green apple component along with white peach, and tropical fruit guava, with French oak vanillin notes rounding out this complex wine. It's a keeper ! !
A recipe for a kewl summer chicken dish that will compliment your yummy Fletcher's Chardonnay.
Sautéed Chicken Breasts with Cucumber Salad
Serves 4
Four 6 ounce skinless, boneless chicken breast halves.
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 medium cucumbers - peeled, seeded, quartered lengthwise and cut into ¼"
thick slices
1 cup roasted cashews coarsely chopped
2 scallions - thinly sliced
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra (of course) virgin olive oil
¼ cup coarsely chopped parsley
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
In a small skillet, cook the cumin seeds over moderate heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer to a work surface and let cool, then coarsely chop. In a large bowl, combine the cumin seeds with the cucumbers, cashews, scallions, lime juice, ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, and parsley; season with sea salt and black pepper. In a large skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Season the chicken breasts with sea salt and coarsely ground black pepper and cook over moderately high heat until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to moderately low and continue cooking for 3 minutes. Turn and cook the chicken until browned on the other side and just cooked through, about 6 minutes longer. Thickly slice each chicken breast crosswise, mound the cucumber salad on top and . . . serve with a smile.
